If you are a client of All Creatures, or live in the Cincinnati area, Our Veterinarians will be glad to answer pet care questions. Ask the vet If your question is one we feel would be of interest to others, your email and his response will be posted here. Don't worry about security. We will not include your email address or real name.

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Question:
Hello there.
I hope you can help me with my problem as I'm getting so worried. I have a Red Tail Boa called Sid, I moved seven and a half months ago and ever since then he has refused to eat. He is the only snake I have ever had and I really need to know if he is well. He loses his skin once a month and it is always complete. His eyes are always clear and healthy and drinks fresh water often. When I try to excite him with an adult rat he moves away and gets as far away from it as possible. I left it in his home all night and when I awoke it was still there and he was laying on it. I have sent a picture of him and hope you can advise me if there is a problem with him. Thank you for your attention and hope to hear from you soon.

Answer:
First of all, snakes can become anorexic for both medical and behavioral reasons. It is not also too uncommon for large boids to go on hunger strikes. However, he probably only needs a hide box and an appetite stimulant, to get him eating again. Make certain a vet examines him for pneumonia and mouthrot first. If all is OK, he may try to stimulate his appetite with an oral dose of flagyl and an injection of B-vitamins. Three days after taking him home from the vet appetite stimulation, turn lights off over cage and try feeding him again. In the dark, when he is the hide box, put a dead mouse in the door way and he should eat it over night. Also spike his heat up to 85 degrees if you have not yet. Temperature increase also stimulates feeding.

Question:
My mother's 15 year old, 49 lb Lab is wetting in her sleep. A vet told her that she is lacking in estrogen. Is there something over the counter that would equal the medicine she could get from the vet? She needs an affordable way to treat the lab.

Answer:
Estrogen is a last resort due to side effects. Other meds tried and true are nolatrim, ephedrine, and some antihistamines. The stuff from the vet is really pretty inexpensive . At my practice it runs about $10 per month. Call your local vet.

Question:
My dog likes to eat grass. A friend told me that this is because something is missing from the her diet. I feed her premium dog food. Why would she be doing this?

Answer:
Most likely there is nothing missing in the diet. Dog folks often hypothesize on the reasons for dogs chewing grass, but other than pointing out that there is little fresh vegetable matter in most dogs' diets, and that some dogs simply enjoy it, there's little we can add. Whether it's a natural response to gastric irritation and whether dogs learn that it can act as an emetic (an agent that causes vomiting) has been speculated, but this is only an issue if the dog throws up after eating the grass. The only real treatment is to supervise her when outdoors or house the dog in a grassless pen. In some situations, owners may want to try feeding a higher-bulk diet and allowing a little grass eating or adding a little bit of greens to the diet. (Call our office before making any radical changes to your dog's diet.) Providing more chew toys and increasing play and obedience sessions will increase the dog's mental and physical stimulation, which can help if she is eating the grass out of boredom.

Question:
Samson is a patient of yours with hip dysplasia. You probably remember him, he's the Collie/Cocker Spaniel Mix who barks and drools a lot whenever he's in boarding with you guys...:-). I'm giving him the Etogesic pain relievers, which help pretty good. But I was wondering if I could give him a supplement to strengthen his joints in addition to the pain killers. I was reading a lot of good things about glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. Is there a special brand you can recommend? How about the dosage? I've seen a supplement at our local petstore > ,it is called "Dog Joint Remedy" by 21st Century, what do you think of that product? I've done a little bit of research about the possibilities in treatments for dogs with dysplasia. Of course I'm not an expert, so I needed your help with that. What do you think about the Adequan treatment....did you have any success with that? Sorry that I have to bug you like that. The e-mail was just the easiest way for me to get in contact with you. Thank you for your help. You guys are doing a great job and I couldn't have a better vets-office for Samson. Keep up the good work...:-)

Answer:
The product we recommend and have great results with is called Connectin. It comes as a powder or tablet and we carry it. We also carry straight Glucosamine tablets. I recommend between 500 and 1000mg/day depending on the dogs weight.